


cleaning up bottles with you on new year's day

by nevernevergirl



Series: the war is over and we are beginning [3]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Background Relationships, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Multi, New Year's Eve, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28457556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevernevergirl/pseuds/nevernevergirl
Summary: After a year of serial killers, aliens, hell dimension, time travel, and a truly stupid amount of near misses, the Runaways celebrate moving on.Or, The One Where It's New Year's Eve.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru
Series: the war is over and we are beginning [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685389
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	cleaning up bottles with you on new year's day

**Author's Note:**

> a fun fact is that I started writing this literally exactly a year ago, didn't finish in time for new year's, and forgot about it until roughly a week ago? i know our fandom's a lot smaller these days, but i hope y'all who are still here enjoy it!
> 
> picks up the new year's after s3, which I'm assuming should be 2019, if s1 started at the end of 2017!

_10:30 PM, PST, December 31, 2018_

Karolina has to physically grab Gert by the hand and drag her down the stairs. It's efficient though, because Chase is trailing behind her, as per usual. Matching His-and-Hers pouts have taken up residence on their faces. 

Luckily, they're both fully clothed, but only because Karolina has very good timing. Given an extra 30 seconds to work with, Gert's bra definitely would have been unhooked. 

"Come on," Karolina says, cajolingly. "It's our first New Year together."

"I've literally known you since we were babies," Gert says. "We've been to so many New Year's Eve parties. I spilled punch on your dress in 2010 and you didn't speak to me for three days."

"She means as Runaways," Molly says, calling out from the foyer where she's settling a party hat onto Old Lace's head. 

"Thank you, Molly," Karolina says.

"Didn't we run away November before last?" Chase asks.

"I think you were in a tube for it," Molly says. 

"No," says Alex. "That was right after your birthday, so around Christmas? I think we were in hell for New Year's."

"Technically, most of us were together in hell," says Gert. "No offense, Alex."

"Yeah, some offense taken."

"Kind of feel like I'm still there, " Nico says, curled up on the couch, barely looking up from her book. 

"Guys," Karolina says, sighing before settling down next to her. "Come on. It's a new beginning for us. And they say how you spend tonight is how you'll spend the rest of the year."

"Who?" Chase asks, idly picking up a noisemaker from the table Molly had dropped the party supplies on. 

"What?" Karolina looks up at him, frowning.

"You said they say. Who's they?"

"Gibs," Molly and Gert say, in unison. 

"A lot of people say that!" Karolina says, defensively. Nico sets down her book, patting her arm sympathetically.

"Hey, she's probably right," Alex says. "I mean. We did spend half the year in hell."

"If that's the case, are you sure it's too late to get a reservation somewhere?" Nico asks Karolina. "Without them?"

"Oh, yeah," Karolina whispers. "I checked yesterday. This is pretty much our only option."

In one fluid, easy motion, Chase, Gert, Molly, and Alex raise their middle fingers. 

_11:15 PM, PST, December 31, 2018_

“This is super boring,” Molly says. She’s hanging upside off the sofa, tossing a ball for Old Lace to fetch. “It’s supposed to be a party. Can we _do_ something?”

“We _are_ doing something,” Chase says, not looking up from Alex’s super computer. “We’re hacking a live stream so we can watch the ball drop.”

“ _Alex_ is hacking a livestream,” Alex says, grumbling. “Chase is hovering.”

“Fuck you dude, you couldn’t hack without the power on,” Chase says, without heat. 

“We literally have a Hulu account now, how is this hard?” Gert says, rolling her eyes.

“Hulu keeps freezing, we told you—”

“Maybe we could do the light show now?” Karolina says, cutting in loudly. Nico smirks, patting her shoulder. Gert raises a skeptical eyebrow.

“There’s a light show? In our sunken mansion? Is it just you glowing?”

“Not just her!” Chase says, looking up and grinning. 

“It’s more of a light competition,” Nico says, shrugging. Karolina groans.

“No, it’s not. It’s super not that.”

Gert sits up so quickly that she nearly knocks Molly off the sofa, eyeing her boyfriend with concern. 

“You can’t set our house on fire,” she says, giving him a stern look. “I have to break up with you if you set our house on fire.”

Chase pouts. 

“You’ve already done that once!”

“Exactly! I don’t want to do it again!”

Molly rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, I just meant we should all make resolutions or something,” she says, shrugging. “I mean, now that there aren’t any aliens or witches trying to kill us.”

“Speak for yourself,” Alex says. “Nico threatened to drown me two days ago.”

Nico shrugs. “You ate the last Eggo, dude.”

“So,” Molly says, louder, sitting upright. “We can, like. Make plans now, right?”

Everyone gets quiet for a moment. Molly bites her lip.

“Yeah, Molls,” Gert says, softly. 

“That’s a great idea, Molly,” Karolina says.

“Yeah, I know,” Molly says, smiling now, smugly. “I’ll go first. I want to choreograph something for dance team this year. I know I’m technically a freshman again, so it’s kind of a longshot, but—”

“I think that’s a great resolution, Molly.” Gert reaches over and squeezes her hand, lightly. Molly grins.

“What about you?” she asks. “Don’t say Smith.”

“Hey, she can say Smith if she wants to,” Chase says, frowning before turning to Gert. “You’ve worked really hard for that.”

“It’s not technically a resolution if she’s already in,” Nico says, shrugging.

“Yeah, but she’s still _going_ this year.”

“Resolving to do something you already committed to is a cop out,” Alex says.

“I don’t think there are rules,” Karolina says.

“Holy shit, shut up, I wasn’t going to say Smith,” Gert says, exasperatedly. She bites her lip. “I actually, um. Want to find out more about my connection to Lace. I haven’t really wanted to talk to my parents about it, but I think it’s really important for us. And so does she. We want to get better at using it.”

“Really? But you’re going to college,” Molly says. “I thought you were done with the superhero thing. Outside of emergencies.”

“Yeah,” Gert says, shrugging. “But it’s part of us. And as much as this isn’t what I would have chosen, it’s not all bad.”

Molly smiles, leaning her head against her sister’s shoulder. 

“Can _I_ say college?” Chase asks. “I’m not in anywhere yet.”

“Only because you applied regular decision everywhere and acceptances haven’t gone out yet,” Gert says, automatically.

“Yeah, we know,” Nico says. “Because you remind him at least 3 times a day.”

“Followed by telling him it’s okay if he decides he doesn’t actually want to go to college and just because it’s what you want doesn’t mean it has to be what he wants,” Karolina says, teasingly. 

Gert slumps against the couch, arms crossed over her chest, glaring. Chase kisses the top of her head; she does not lessen her glare.

“I’m going to college,” he says, steadily. “And then I’m going to figure what I want to do.”

“You mean other than Gert?” Nico says; she receives a synchronized pillow throw in the face, courtesy Chert, for her efforts. Molly provides gagging noises as a soundtrack.

“Anyway,” Karolina says, as her girlfriend attempts to use her as a half-human shield. “I’m going back to my mom’s church.”

The room goes quiet. Chase drops the throw pillow he’d been about to launch at Nico. 

“Um,” Nico says.

“What?” Alex says, blinking.

“You know it’s a genocidal cult, right?” Gert asks. “Like, you were here this whole year, right?”

“Yes, Gert,” Karolina says, rolling her eyes. “They all think I’m something I’m not—”

“Lesbian Jesus,” Molly supplies, helpfully.

“And I need to fix that. I need to know nobody’s going to be taken advantage of, and that my mom’s not going to use me to hurt anyone again.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Nico asks, carefully, playing with Karolina’s fingers absently.

“I don’t know,” she says, shrugging. “But I’ll figure it out. And I’ll have all of you here to help me.”

This time, Gert and Chase provide the gagging noises.

“I’m only going to use the staff when we need it for awhile,” Nico says, quietly. “I want to know how to use it. I want to get better at it. And I will. But I think right now, I need a break. I think we all do.”

Karolina flips her hand in hers, laces their fingers together, and squeezes. 

“Alex?” Molly asks. “What’s your resolution?”

“I don’t know. I think I might try not making plans for awhile,” he shrugs, then smirks. “Seems like it works for Chase.”

“Fuck off, Wilder,” Chase says, cheerfully. Nico watches Alex carefully.

“You okay, Alex?”

Alex watches her back for a moment, like he’s debating the answer internally, then sighs. “I don’t know,” he says, honestly. “It still kind of feels like the world’s been turned upside down.”

“We know,” Karolina says, gently.

Alex bites his lip. “Yeah,” he says, after a moment. “I know you do.”

_11:45 PM, PST, December 31, 2018_

“Chase, come on,” Nico groans. “Just, like. Blast something. It’s still fire, dude, close enough.”

“No,” he says, frowning at the Fistigons. “I’ve been working on these settings all week. It’s gonna work.”

Above them all, Karolina flies, glowing, occasionally blasting a soft beam of light over their heads.

“It’s like a laser show,” Molly says, grinning. “Like Disneyland.”

“Show off,” Chase grumbles.

_11:57 PM, PST, December 31, 2018_

“How hard is it to stream the ball drop?” Gert says, skeptically. “I thought computers were your superpower.”

Alex glares. “The stream keeps freezing, and we live in a cave, Gert.”

She shrugs. “Excuses.”

_12:01 AM, PST, January 1, 2019_

“Told you I’d get it to work,” Chase says, proudly beaming at the flames dancing, in the air, suspended in front of them. Alex cocks his head, watching curiously.

“Is that….in the shape of a monkey?”

“Cool, huh?”

“Sure, babe,” Gert says, sounding more fond than she intends. “Super cool.”

“ _Babe_ ,” Karolina echoes, floating down next to Molly, the both of them making exaggerated kissy faces.

“Not to interrupt this super deserved heckling,” Nico says. “But, uh. We missed midnight.”

“What?” Molly yelps.

“No way,” Chase argues, putting out the monkey fire. “We still have—”

“Oh, shit, it’s 12:01,” Gert says, holding up her phone.

“That’s okay,” Karolina says. “Technically, we were celebrating.”

“Time isn’t even real,” Gert shrugs. “I’m literally alive because time isn’t real.”

Nico makes a face. “I think technically it’s because we broke time.”

“We can’t break something that isn’t real,” Chase says. 

“Alex, can you just go back on the countdown?” Molly asks, pouting. 

At 12:03, Molly’s standing on the couch, shouting as she counts down from ten, pulling Alex up with her. Gert and Chase start making out somewhere around _four_ , and Karolina’s pulling Nico up into the air at _two_. Old Lace watches them sleepily from Alexville, letting out a roar as Molly shouts _happy new year, assholes!_

Alex smiles, the easiest, most genuine smile he’s managed in over a year, and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“Happy New Year, Molls,” he says. “Watch your language.”


End file.
